Sparking Jetpack Compose at Tinder
Article Summary
Tinder adopted Jetpack Compose before it hit 1.0. Here's how they navigated the alpha/beta chaos in a massive production app.
Tinder's Android team documented their journey from Compose's early alpha stages through stable release. Staff Engineer Tasha Ramesh shares how they introduced declarative UI into a decade-old codebase with millions of users.
Key Takeaways
- Created internal playground repo to prototype Compose before production integration
- Formed cross-team working group to analyze build system and dependency impacts
- Shipped low-traffic Licenses screen as first Compose feature to validate stability
- Pivoted entire design system to Compose-first with Material theme customization
- Navigated Kotlin compiler plugin constraints and AGP version compatibility issues
Critical Insight
Tinder successfully integrated Jetpack Compose by starting small, forming a dedicated working group, and building internal tooling before rolling out to user-facing features.
